I Am Jewish: Personal Reflections Inspired by the Last Words of Daniel Pearl

by Ruth Pearl (Editor), Judea Pearl (Editor)

Overview

When Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was brutally murdered in Pakistan, many Jews were particularly touched by his last words affirming his Jewish identity. Many were moved to reflect on or analyze their feelings toward their lives as Jews. The saying "two Jews, three opinions" well reflects the Jewish community's broad range of views on any topic. I Am Jewish captures this richness of interpretation and inspires Jewish people of all backgrounds to reflect upon and take pride in their identity. Contributions, ranging from major essays to a paragraph or a sentence, come from adults as well as young people in the form of personal feelings, statements of theology, life stories, and historical reflections. Despite the diversity, common denominators shine through clearly and distinctly.

This inspiring collection presents answers from Jewish people around the world -- artists, entertainers, government leaders, authors, media personalities, scientists, community organizers, scholars, rabbis, and others -- covering the religious, professional, and political spectrum. In this critical time in our history, I Am Jewish will motivate people throughout the Jewish community to think about their lives as Jews, and have a profound effect on the way younger Jews shape their identity in years to come. It will help people of all faiths and backgrounds to better understand Jewish people and Judaism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683361213
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	01/01/2004
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 3.30(d)

About the Author

Judea and Ruth Pearl, the parents of Daniel Pearl, are cofounders of the Daniel Pearl Foundation (www.danielpearl.org). The Foundation's mission is to promote cross-cultural understanding through journalism, music and innovative communications.

Judea and Ruth Pearl, the parents of Daniel Pearl, are cofounders of the Daniel Pearl Foundation (www.danielpearl.org). The Foundation's mission is to promote cross-cultural understanding through journalism, music and innovative communications.

Table of Contents

	Publisher's Note	xv
	Preface	xvii
Part I	Identity
	Avraham Burg	3
	Ruth R. Wisse	7
	Joshua Malina	10
	Irwin Cotler	10
	Lawrence H. Summers	13
	Rabbi Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi	14
	The Right Honourable The Lord Woolf	18
	Angela Warnick Buchdahl	19
	A. B. Yehoshua	20
	Michael Chlenov	23
	Daniel Schorr	23
	Stefanie Stoler	28
	Maureen Lipman	28
	Mike Wallace	30
	Natan Sharansky	31
	Norman Lear	34
	David Horovitz	34
	Kitty Dukakis	36
	Jamie Sistino	37
	Thomas L. Friedman	37
	Bernice Rubens	40
	Leon Botstein	41
Part II	Heritage
	Shimon Peres	45
	Cynthia Ozick	49
	Ruth Pearl	50
	Larry King	51
	Sarah Rosenbaum	54
	W. Michael Blumenthal	54
	Tamara Pearl	55
	Spencer Newman	56
	Sylvia Boorstein	57
	David J. Azrieli	60
	Martin Peretz	60
	Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine	63
	Jade Ransohoff	65
	Wendy Wasserstein	65
	Sarah Silverman	66
	Moshe Katsav	67
	Amanda	70
	Lord Greville Janner	70
	Alana Frey	73
	Itay	75
	Richard Dreyfuss	75
	Roald Hoffmann	76
	Vidal Sassoon	77
	Ida Haendel	78
	Daniel Libeskind	79
	Jackie Mason	80
	Maurice Levy	81
	Rabbi Rachel B. Cowan	82
	Milton Friedman	84
	Liz Lerman	84
	Daniel Gill	85
	David Suissa	86
	Yefim Bronfman	87
	Shelley R. Deutch Tayar	87
	Douglas Rushkoff	90
	Gloria Goldreich	91
	Daniel Jonah Goldhagen	92
	Ephraim Kishon	93
	Menachem Z. Rosensaft	94
	Robert Rabinovitch	96
	Naim Dangoor	97
	Kerri Strug	98
	Sir Martin Gilbert	99
	Deborah E. Lipstadt	100
	Bernard Lewis	102
Part III	Covenant, Chosenness, and Faith
	Senator Joe Lieberman	107
	Robyn J. Friedman	108
	Dr. David Hartman	109
	Eric H. Yoffie	114
	Sarah Levin	117
	Alan Dershowitz	117
	Rabbi Lawrence Kushner	120
	Felicia Lilien	121
	Arno Penzias	122
	Rabbi Patricia Karlin-Neumann	124
	Shia LaBeouf	126
	Sandy Eisenberg Sasso	127
	Amos Oz	131
	Samantha Schram	132
	Rabbi Israel Meir Lau	132
	Leon Wieseltier	134
	Naomi Ragen	136
	Gershom Sizomu	137
	Michael H. Steinhardt	139
	Dennis Prager	140
	Kirk Douglas	142
	Dr. Richard A. Lerner	143
	Julius Lester	144
	Chaim Kramer	145
	Josef Joffe	146
	Rabbi Uri Regev	148
	Thane Rosenbaum	152
	Richard Siegel	153
	Michael Medved	155
	Jim Ball	156
	Rabbi Kenneth J. Leinwand	157
	Norman Lamm	158
	Larry S. Moses	161
	Rabbi Tony Bayfield	162
	Harold Kushner	164
Part IV	Humanity and Ethnicity
	Elie Wiesel	169
	Samuel G. Freedman	170
	Jonathan Sacks	173
	Matt Putney	175
	Michelle Pearl	176
	Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis	177
	Ehud Barak	181
	Bernard-Henri Levy	182
	David Grossman	185
	Tovah Feldshuh	186
	Nadine Gordimer	187
	Theodore Bikel	188
	Judea Pearl	190
	Eran Rotshenker	192
	Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller	192
	Anne Roiphe	194
	Dr. Uri D. Herscher	195
	Alexander Militarev	197
Part V	Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World) and Justice
	Ruth Bader Ginsburg	201
	Jonathan Freedland	202
	Stephen H. Hoffman	204
	Gary Shteyngart	205
	Lynn Schusterman	206
	Rabbi Jacqueline Tabick	209
	David Colburn	210
	Judy Feld Carr	212
	Robin Kramer	213
	Richard N. Goldman	215
	Tullia Zevi	216
	Peter Yarrow	217
	Francine Klagsbrun	221
	Hanoch Greenberg	222
	Sjalom Awraham Soetendorp	223
	Alan Colmes	225
	Ruth W. Messinger	225
	Rosalie Silberman Abella	227
	Senator Dianne Feinstein	228
	Bernard Kouchner	229
	Zev Yaroslavsky	231
	Simone Veil	232
	Daniel Kahneman	233
	Rabbi Naamah Kelman	234
	Roger Cukierman	238
	Edgar M. Bronfman	239
	Debbie Friedman	241
	Acknowledgments	243
	Glossary	245
	Index of Contributors	247
	Credits	251

Editorial Reviews

In February 2002, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was brutally murdered by terrorists in Karachi, Pakistan. Just before he died, he said, "My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish." His parents decided to honor his memory by asking several hundred Jews to record their reactions to his words-statements that form the core of this book. Most of the 146 contributors are well-known authors, educators, rabbis, reporters, entertainers and political figures, including Joseph Lieberman, Michael Medved, Dennis Prager, Elie Wiesel, Dianne Feinstein, Kerri Strug, Richard Dreyfuss and Wendy Wasserstein. The length of their statements varies from a sentence or two to essays that cover several pages. Their thoughts are organized around the five basic themes of identity; heritage; covenant, chosenness and faith; humanity; and tikkun ha'olam (repairing the world). The respondents provide anecdotes, theological formulations, personal reactions, biblical references and historical reflections, ranging widely from the superficial to the profound. Among the few Israeli contributors is Avrum Burg, an outspoken critic of the Sharon government and its policies. He argues eloquently that being a Jew places on him a special obligation to work for peace. Others place different constructions on what it means to be Jewish. Lack of consensus highlights the extreme variations in Jewish views, indicating that one value of this collection is its demonstration that a healthy diversity of opinion continues to characterize the Jewish community. (Feb.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Inspired by the last words of murdered journalist Daniel Pearl, the contributors to this volume muse on the phrase "I am Jewish" and seek to answer the question of what it means to be a Jew for themselves. The short responses come from well-known public figures (e.g., Sen. Joseph Lieberman, Elie Wiesel), academics (Ruth Wisse, Lawrence Summers, Leon Botstein), artists and writers (Cynthia Ozick, Wendy Wasserstein, Thomas Friedman, Amos Oz), and media personalities and entertainers (Larry King, Mike Wallace, Jackie Mason, Richard Dreyfus). Also included are responses from less well-known Jews and average citizens. Grouped into categories such as "Identity," "Heritage," "Covenant," and "Tikkun Ha Olam" (Repairing the World), the responses take a wide range of approaches. Some are based on a family memoir or anecdote, while others are more philosophical, theological, or political. The eclectic nature of the contributors makes for a varied level of sophistication, thoughtfulness, and comprehensiveness-but maybe that's the point. Collectively, this volume demonstrates the varied nature of Jewish identity in the world today, which will be of interest for large contemporary Judaica collections.-Herbert E. Shapiro, Empire State Coll. of SUNY, Rochester Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

"Should be mandatory reading in all Jewish schools in the United States and Israel."
—Yuval Rotem, Consul General of Israel

From the Publisher